Songlines
The Sentinels of Eden, Book 1
Carolyn Denman
Clean YA Fantasy
Publisher: Odyssey Books
About the Book:
"We belong to the earth, Lainie-Bug. We were sent here in human form for a reason. If you don’t know what to do, then just be human."
Right. Like that was ever a simple thing to do.
Simple would be finishing high school without that desolate music trickling through the cracks in my dreams, making me too tired to study.
Simple would be telling Noah his girlfriend smells like last week’s dim sims without second-guessing my own reasons for not liking her.
Simple would be keeping the mining company from trespassing on our sheep farm.
Perhaps for a human, those things would be simple. No wonder I could never quite get the hang of it. Then again, a simple life would have never let me feel the flames of the sacred spinning sword, or breathe the fragrance of the Garden, or sink my teeth into the Living Fruit from the Tree of Life…
Sample Chapter from Songlines Book 1:
High above the ground, the Sentinel stood right on the point of the tree branch between where her weight was supported easily and the bendy region where a sudden movement would surely send her to her death again.
The view was spectacular enough to distract her for quite some time, and she soaked it in as greedily as her lungs soaked in air – scented with pine and honey and blossoms – as she recovered from the climb. Under her feet, helpful rustling reminded her how deeply she was loved and cherished here, as the tree began to redirect its energy into growing faster beneath her toes, the branch thickening and strengthening with miraculous speed. The timeless pine hungered to keep her safe at least as much as it hungered for the sweet nectar of warm sunlight. Deep textured wisdom flowed up through the core of its massive trunk, tasting the atmosphere to assess her needs as well as its own.
She brushed her fingertips across the tips of the pine needles. Their scent tripped threads of elusive memories – Christmas trees on Christmas mornings with AC/DC echoing across the backyard and Dad yelling at Mum to turn it down and Mum yelling back that he must be getting old and would he like a glass of sherry and Dad teasing her back by saying he’d prefer a shandy… but those memories were best left behind. Still, something tugged at her, from the east, demanding her attention in a place where demands were meaningless. Something forgotten, and uncomfortable to dwell on. Something that made her want to stay distracted enough not to have to think about it, and death was very distracting.
Above her head, sparrows flicked around tiny gusts of air with each wing beat, throwing in random bursts of speed every time there was a hint of a pause in their song like they were playing musical chairs. Smiling, she pulled a slightly squished piece of Fruit from where it had been tucked under her belt, and then she launched herself from the branch, up towards the graceful sky.
Adrenaline washed away her lingering discomfort as she plummeted past the base of the tree and down into the rocky gorge that it leant out over. Remnant reflexes from another world caused her to gasp, and for a second her limbs became rigid in response to her body’s perceived danger, but that only lasted for a few moments. She inhaled sweet life to drown the memories, and then let her breath out again with a laugh as she noticed the sparrows trying to follow her, unable to fall nearly as well with their hollow bones. Poor little things. Spreading her arms and legs in glorious celebration, she flew downwards faster than she could move in any other game, wishing she could somehow break the laws of gravity and move even more quickly. Except then it wouldn’t last as long. As it was, the ground was rising up far too rapidly. She would have to ask around to see if any of her friends knew of anywhere higher to jump from. They would laugh at her childishness, but to them she was still a child, and they loved to indulge her.
Below, the River sparkled, its curved body growing fatter as she approached it. The darker blue of its deepest pool called to her like a lover ready to fold her into his arms, and tears fell through her laughter. In her blurred vision, the River became a spiral of blue, curling around a plain brown shell. Lost. She had lost it, so long ago, and with it she’d lost her lover’s embrace. As she hit the water with explosive force, bones broke, bruises blossomed like tulips at dawn, and the piece of Fruit she had been clutching floated away from her limp fingers.
Purchase Links:
Other Books in the Sentinels of Eden Series:
Sanguine
The Sentinels of Eden, Book 2
Publisher: Odyssey Books
About the Book:
Lainie Gracewood has turned her back on the world she used to call home. But who can blame her? After all, the sweet bliss of paradise is hard to resist.
But there's a restlessness inside her that yearns to be set free. When a native Edenite discovers the boundary between Earth and Eden, Lainie promises herself a return will be short and sweet.
As always, Earth is more complicated than that. When a Guardian is abducted, the urge to protect the sacred knowledge will see her faced with the ultimate choice: life, death or paradise?
Sympath
The Sentinels of Eden, Book 3
Publisher: Odyssey Books
Annie has grown up knowing she is destined to meet her soul mate. He will always remain close to her. He will always know exactly where she is, and how she’s feeling. He’ll guard and protect her. At least until she produces the next heir to her Cherubim line.
There has to be a way to avoid this supernatural stalker.
Determined to find her own identity before becoming bonded to her Guardian, Annie does everything she can to keep him at a distance – until her partner Cherub, Harry, dredges up the mystery of his parents’ deaths and triggers unwanted attention from an organised crime syndicate. Now all three of them need to do whatever it takes to save Harry’s farm, solve the mystery of the missing ruby necklace, and keep anyone from finding the hidden Paradise it came from.
Shamar
The Sentinels of Eden, Book 4
Publisher: Odyssey Books
Coming June 2019
About the Author:
Carolyn Denman lives on a farm on the outskirts of Melbourne. She has a science degree, far too many pets and a fear of the ocean that makes her Mauritian mother roll her eyes. She enjoys writing spec-fiction novels, playing games with her horse and frightening hairdressers with the concept of the forthcoming Singularity. As well as writing stories for Aurealis and Andromeda Spaceways magazines, Carolyn is also the author of the YA Australian fantasy series The Sentinels of Eden.
Songlines, Sanguine and Sympath are available now through Odyssey Books and all the usual online bookstores. The final book in the series, Shamar, is due for release in June 2019.
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